


Return to the Omniverse

by JaganBitch



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Angst, Expansion on Canon, Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Multi, Other, Rewrite, Trans Ben Tennyson, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22431250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaganBitch/pseuds/JaganBitch
Summary: This is, sort of, an Omniverse rewrite. Mainly expanding on events that happened in the show, trying to give more introspective, but changing some of the plots. Some things may be changed drastically from the canon source, but many things to just add another layer of depth to these characters. Mostly canon compliant in terms of characters, events, but order may change.
Relationships: Ben Tennyson & Gwen Tennyson, Kevin Levin & Ben Tennyson, Kevin Levin/Gwen Tennyson, Rook Blonko & Ben Tennyson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	Return to the Omniverse

**Author's Note:**

> If you're reading this, thank you for clicking to read. I'd like to say this now: I am writing this for fun. This is for my own satisfaction. This is not beta'd by any means. I write for the hell of it, and I've been wanting to write a sort of rewrite for Omniverse for about a year I think. A lot of this will be my own personal headcanons and views on certain characters, headcanons and character portrayals based on my roleplay partners, and my own understanding of how certain situations should have maybe gone. 
> 
> I won't be rewriting the entire series in the sense of "yeah, gonna rewrite every episode," but mainly, episodes I might've wanted something expanded on, some more interactions to give more meaning to their relationships and interactions we see on screen. Some episodes might be skipped over, some episodes might be combined into just one chapter (ie: two episodes in one chapter), and some episodes might be across several chapters. I'll keep from babbling, and let's move on with the story.

“You really should tell him.”

“I will! It’s just...not a good time right now.”

“Gwen, we’ve got literally a week before we-”

“Exactly- WE. I don’t see you trying to tell him!” 

There was silence before the sigh. Rough fingers rubbed against a closed eyelid; frustration plastered upon a pale face with a mixture of worry. A delicate hand took hold of the rough one, fingers intertwining, and Kevin looked down at Gwen. They met with the same face; a face of dread.

They both knew telling Ben of such a change was going to be complicated, and no doubt met with negative reactions, but Gwen said it to herself (literally); she would go to college early. The opportunity came to her just as her adult counterpart had told her those six years ago, and as a girl ready to take on the future, she realized she could not just stick around Bellwood. She knew she would come back and visit during semester breaks, and obviously when the Universe needed saving. However, colleges near Bellwood weren’t quite the same as Ivy League schools. Going across the country would be a big change, but it was one she wanted to take.

It wasn’t like she was going to be alone.

Regardless of Kevin telling her he was absolutely going with her, her status as Gwen Tennyson wouldn’t leave her without the fans around her school. She kept it as private as she could on social media, but by no means would that stay that way. She wasn’t nearly as famous as her cousin, but fame followed en suite, so being alone would not have been much of an issue for long. However, Kevin was supportive, and the extra push she needed. The idea of leaving her cousin to fend for himself did bring her to debate on letting this opportunity leave her, but he would not allow it. He knew that over the years, she’d gotten protective of her cousin. She was always up for letting him have it in terms of forcing his ego down, bringing him back from whatever plane he went off to when he got...very “Ben”, and when he was being an all around jackass.

Kevin wasn’t above telling Ben what was up, but something like this… This was where he was hoping Gwen would take the initiative. Were it about anything else, Kevin would’ve said something the immediate second he learned Gwen was going across the nation to school, and he as well would be working near her campus. This, however, was not anything else. This was that, and the two did the one thing they knew were going to make this talk all the harder for Ben to accept: procrastinate.  
Ben was a lot. With a personality that was often wild and obnoxious but that could switch to cheerful and kind-hearted, he was also someone who would hold a grudge or make a scene over a change to his life style. Gwen and Kevin often didn’t make changes to his routine, and when they did, it was subtle enough where he didn’t register it, or it was sort of out of their hands (most super villains don’t care all that much about the routine of a hero). Gwen knew she wanted to tell him sooner and let him cool off. Kevin knew he wanted to tell him sooner and let him cool off. The act, however, was easier said than done.

With the abrupt opening of the door, Gwen and Kevin knew they were going to have to tell him today. There was no way around it. Looking over to their starry eyed leader (at least, self imposed leader they sort of just rolled with at this point) holding up a cup holder full of smoothies, they knew. They just knew.

Today was gonna be rough.

__

“So since I barely passed ‘cause of all the days I missed, once the summer’s over, I’m gonna be finishing up school online! So catch me probably doing homework assignments and stuff on my phone while we’re kickin’ bad guy butt!”

“Normally, Ben,” Gwen began to state as she had a hand perched under her chin as she gazed out the window watching the all too familiar desert scene pass by them, “I’d tell you I really wish you’d take school more seriously, but as long as you’re staying in school, I’ll let it slide.”

“Heh! Awww goodie I made mom over here NOT totally disappointed in me!”

“I’ve never been disappointed! I just wish you’d use the brain I know you have for important stuff and not just the weird stuff you text me and Kevin about at four AM!” 

Kevin let out a groan. “Dude, if I get one more text while I’m sleeping about you doing what you did to that last Furby, you’re getting permanently blocked. ...Again.”

With a mischievous giggle and grin plastered on his face, Ben poked his dimples gleefully. “Aww c’mon! You can’t keep me blocked forever dude! I’m adorable!”

“You also made it literally impossible to block you forever Mr. ‘I’m gonna use Upgrade and just unblock me when we leave our phones unguarded for at least two seconds,” Gwen retorted.

“...But also ‘cause I’m adorable! C’mon! You guys can’t tell me you aren’t like the slightest bit curious about what I’m gonna make my next Furby able to do!”

“As long as your next one doesn’t blow fire anywhere near my car like your last one, I really couldn’t care dude.”

“Pft, you guys are no fun. Just like patrol tonight, ugh!” And with that, the teen flopped back into the backseats of the car, letting out an overly dramatic groan and an arm draped across his forehead to boot. “We’ve been out for two hours. That lead about SSSerpent was a bust, and now I’m just itching to fight bad guys. But the only crime I saw today was the person, like, twenty miles ago who decided to not signal and totally cut us off.”

“I was close to killing them.”

“Kevin, I don’t think being an idiot on the road would qualify for murder.”

“I dunno Gwen- I don’t think I would’ve stopped him for that.”

“Ben no. Murder’s bad.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t do it myself but I wouldn’t have stopped-”

“Okay, can we get off this topic? ‘Side I um...Kevin and I kinda gotta talk to you about something.”

Ben’s arm no longer draped across his forehead, and he looked at his cousin with a face that could not have been anymore unaware of what she was going to spill to him. It was his usual bored expression when he was getting antsy of being in the backseat for so long. She knew that face; it was always before he said to drop him off and he’d go patrolling himself. He’d usually come back saying he would prefer bothering them anyway and be bored with them. He liked being bored with them at the end of the day just as he liked hanging out with them, going out to dinner with them, and fighting crime with them. As Gwen saw and realized it more as she tried to conjure up how she was going to break this all to Ben, it occurred to her just how alone her cousin was going to be without them.

Throughout their time since he first put the Omnitrix back onto his wrist, she noticed just how much Ben didn’t really have many others to hang out with. Aside from Julie, who had been distant from her since Ben broke it off between the two (for reasons Julie never wanted to talk about and that Ben never bothered to bring up, but Gwen wasn’t going to pry if neither of the two were talking about it), he wasn’t necessarily active with other people. At least, not face to face with other people.

When it came to social media, Ben was about as active on it as the regular teenage boy would be; glued to it when he had to time, and when he didn’t have the time, Ben often updated his Snapchat and Instagram. The former being his most active, and the one he loved to update his story to at the late hours when he couldn’t sleep. Often times he’d be snapping at inappropriate times like on patrols or even battles, and this certainly has cost him a few phones. Thankfully, being famous did have some perks, and a weird “super hero” insurance that was made up specifically for him made the loss of one phone seem like a minor inconvenience when he knew he wasn’t going to be home that same day. He didn’t know how many people were subscribed to him given how many people off and on Earth followed him, but she did know his follower count on Instagram was broken. She’d never forget going to look for something on his page when she noticed his follower count was just a hyphen. Ben had noticed, but just shrugged it off. Follower counts didn’t matter to him when he wasn’t famous, and they matter even less now that he’s famous.

If only those were actual friends she knew he would have around when she and Kevin left.

She must’ve taken too long to stay trapped in her thoughts because Ben was already sitting up, the bored expression now looking mildly concerned, but mostly confused.

“Did’ya forget what you needed to tell me, or something?”

“...Or something.”

“Alright c’mon, tell me what’s up. Even Kevin over there got all weirdly quiet, and usually by now he would’ve blurted it out. I mean, if you told him before me.”

The two of them took a deep breath.

“Well, it’s just uh… Y’know, I’ve really been itching to go to college early!” Ben nodded, looking at her confused as if to say ‘what does this have to do with anything?’ She laughed nervously. “I mean, I did the application stuff for schools that would let me in early since I was WAY beyond the rest of my classmates and junk, right?”

“Yeah Gwen, I get it. You’re super smart. If you’re just gonna tell me you’re going to college, you can just spill it. Wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Great! ‘Cause yeah! That’s what I was gonna say!”

He smiled, sitting with his legs crossed, and earning a less-than-excited look from Kevin. Granted, in the back of Ben’s head, Kevin looked just slightly less annoyed about it. Weird. Kevin hated Ben putting his feet up on the seats.

“Well, congrats! So what, you going to Ashford? San Diego State? University of Cali? Oh! You gonna dorm there or drive? Though, guess if you drove, that’d mean your dad would have to get you that car finally. Hey! You can always borrow mine! Or is Kevin gonna drive you? Oh we can always drop you off while me and Kevin go on patrol! We can pick you up when we-”

“Actually dude,” Kevin interrupted, causing Ben and Gwen to look towards him, his eyes fixated on the road. Though, they were mostly trying to avoid looking at Ben’s face when the truth finally hit. “She’s dorming. I’m also uh...getting a new place to live.”

“Oh cool! So we can do a housewarming party and a dorm warming! Is that a thing? It should be. But anyways- awesome! Okay, we should-”

“No Ben! I’m not staying in or near Bellwood!” Gwen finally shouted, causing Ben to stop speaking and Kevin to swerve a bit.Thankfully, at this hour, there wasn’t much (or any since that once driver) traffic on the road, so it wasn’t a huge deal, but enough to make Kevin realize they should pull over. Slowing down, and setting the car into park, he kept his eyes forward, not wanting to look at Ben while this went down. 

Ben’s face was just that of pure confusion. Gwen let out a sigh, and unbuckled her seat belt to turn easier in her seat to look at her cousin.

“Ben… I wanted to tell you sooner. I did. I just...I dunno, I didn’t know how to tell you. But… I’m going to school across the country. Like...Northeast. I got into an Ivy League school…”

Silence.

Unbearable silence.

A silence broken only by Ben’s shuffling to change his sitting position to that of a normal pose, but with the thump-thump-thumping from his now bouncing leg. He licked his lower lip, staring down and left at the floor. He wasn’t sure what to say.

None of them were after that.

Until-

“Funny. But for real, what school?”

“Friedkin.”

“That’s in New Hampshire.”

“Yeah…”

“That’s...far.”

“...Yeah.”

“How’re you gonna come home every day.”

“I’m...not.”

“...Kevin, you’re going to?”

Still not looking at his friend, Kevin replied, “Yeah. I...found a place off campus, and…”

“So...You guys are just...leaving me?”

“Oh c’mon Ben! We’re cousins! It’s not like we’re never gonna see each other again! And you know I’ll be here as fast as I can if there’s danger that needs the three of us to stop it! Plus, there’s holidays, and semester breaks! It’s not like I’m going off world or anything!”

“Yeah Tennyson, c’mon! It’s not that big a deal we’re-”

“Oh, not a big deal? Of course it’s not! It’s not a big deal at all!” Slamming his hands to the side of him on the car seats, the slap of leather making a rather loud booming sound, he raised the pitch of his voice. “Gee Ben! We’re just going to drop this life changing news on you and just tell ya to deal with it! It’s not like your opinion on it matters!”

“Ben, you’re being a child about this!”

“Oh, I’m being a child? Well maybe ‘cause I am a child Gwen! Just ‘cause you like to act all mature and smart and all that stuff doesn’t mean you aren’t a kid like me too! I mean, you’re sixteen, but you act and live life like a forty year old! You’ve had your whole life planned up until then, but you just gotta speed run it all don’cha!?” 

Gwen just glared at him, and began to speak up, but Ben was ranting once again.

“No I get it! You guys just wanna be away from me don’t you!? Am I annoying? Is that it? I’ll stop! I’ll leave you guys alone if that’s what you want! Don’t need to be extra and just up and go across the country! Heck, I’m doing my classes online now! I can just-”

“Ben! You aren’t coming with us! First of all, rude to impose yourself! Where would you stay? You can’t just live in my dorm! And you can’t just expect Kevin to let you stay! He’s gonna be paying rent and everything and-”

“Plus! What if there’s some world threatening disaster happening here!? I mean, we can’t just leave!”

“Ben! What did I just finish saying? I’m still gonna help with super heroing stuff! Jeez, crime doesn’t JUST happen in Bellwood!”  
“I’m leaving.”

“Tennyson, dude, we’re not done talking about this.”

Ben growled. “Oh, deciding to actually add something else to this?”

Kevin finally snapped his head to look directly at his friend, causing Ben to be taken aback.

“Y’know, Ben, you’re right. I do. You ARE annoying! You’re my pal, but you’re also so annoying! THIS is why it took us this long to tell you! ‘Cause we both knew you’d just make this about you. Jeez, it’s like I’m dating the both of you since Gwen and I literally never get any time alone. But guess what? That’s not what that made us make the choice!”

“Kevin, wait, let’s-”

“No Gwen! We’re always doing everything he wants! We’ve talked about this with him before, but it’s just not getting through his head! Ben, Gwen and me have our own lives. She got into a REALLY great school, and she’s not blowing this just ‘cause you get all whiny when we do things differently than you’re used to! Like dude! You ever think about us for a change? Like what WE might want? Or even think about some of the things we’ve given up on just to make sure you’re happy? I mean, dude, it’s not like I hate you. Yeah, you annoy me and all, but I annoy you. Heck, we ALL annoy each other, but we’re friends. You two are the only people I care about, which is why I’m talkin’ so much right now dude! I don’t DO feelings, and I definitely don’t just spill ‘em out like this! SO can you just get your head outta your butt for once and just...take it?”

The silence returned. Ben was sitting close to the door, having been inching closer and closer in a means of leaving during his friend’s tirade. However...Ben knew there was nothing but truth in that statement.

A truth he wasn’t ready to admit to yet, and one he certainly had no comment to yet.

Gwen tried to shift her position in the seat, back now facing the car dashboard, and trying to get closer to her cousin. Her hand tried to reach for him as she began to break the silence.

“Ben. Please. Don’t be mad. Or be mad, but just… Don’t think we’re leaving because of you. I wanna go to this school. The schools here just aren’t the Ivy League. This is what I want… Please.”

She managed to get her fingers to brush his bangs a bit before Ben quickly opened the car door. The two in the car yelled as his, and Ben quickly dialed in Jetray, and flew off into the desert. Gwen looked back to Kevin, then made a loud thud as she plopped back in her seat.

Her hands covered her face as she let out a groan.

“I knew it. I knew it. He’s so mad and I bet he’s not gonna talk to me till MAYBE after the FALL semester ends.”

“I think I made it worse.”

“No… I think he was gonna do that anyways. That’s why I never wanted to tell him. Gosh! Stupid schools. Ugh. Maybe I shouldn’t-”

“Gwen no. You WANT this, right?”

“Yeah! And I ALSO don’t want my cousin hating me! Kevin, he’s gonna have like...only Grandpa! And Grandpa is kinda his boss too! They can’t just hang out! And Ben? Doing patrols alone? That’s literally asking for a disaster! I can’t! I can’t do this! I’ll just go somewhere here in Bellwood. It’s just a stupid degree any-”

“You just said it before! The schools here aren’t the Ivy League! Gwen! The both of us can’t let Ben run our lives either! You think I’m okay with leaving him alone here? Like, I’m used to it, but Ben? When was the last time you two were even separated? Heck, if he’s not with you, he was with me or Julie! And now that him and Julie aren’t even a thing-!”

“Which he hasn’t spoken to me about at all! Julie won’t say why, and Ben didn’t even tell me they broke up! Kevin I just… I’m worried my cousin’s gonna do something stupid if we leave. I can already see him getting hurt on a mission! Or somehow destroying the whole Universe ‘cause he pushed a button he wasn’t supposed to! Or he forgot his epipen when he decided to eat the stupid peanut butter cups even though he KNOWS he’s allergic!”

“Gwen…”

“Okay, I guess he’s got other Plumbers but… Ben doesn’t… work well with many people. I know he needs consistency or he loses his mind.”

“Well...that’s...not gonna be our problem. ...As awful as that sounds.”

Gwen moans into her hands again, then lifts her head to look at Kevin. 

“Kevin, I’m just... so tired. Ben and I spent so many years saving the Universe, seeing so much. Maybe too much. Stuff I know we shouldn’t have seen, but we did. Ben and I can’t change that. Gosh and after...he took off the watch the first time, he just...wasn’t himself. That change, both just in both our lives and just who he became for a good while was just… I don’t wanna see him like that again.”

“Something...happen?”

“It’s really not my place to say. Besides...my point is, I’m just...scared. I’m scared he’s gonna become reckless, or just...not be himself anymore.”

“...Gwen, listen,” he let out a sigh. Feelings. Emotions. Expressing such things like that was not something Kevin was completely capable. Not because he didn’t feel (quite the opposite, he felt a lot), but from his upbringing and own horrific childhood, he wasn’t given a luxury to feel.

No one on this team really did; they all knew they had their own ways of dealing with it. Ben’s, which was apparent to both of them but not to the other boy himself, might’ve been more damaging. It wasn’t something they could confront him about, nor would it be something either felt confident they would ever win an argument over. Ben never considered his childhood lost, horrific, or mentally draining. To him, it was fun and exciting; a childhood any kid could want.

To this point in her life, Gwen knew what they experienced that first summer, and the following summer, was bad. She wouldn’t dwell on it because she knew living in the past would just make her lose her edge. She was always a forward thinker, and she would always learn from her past mishaps and even take apart her successes to assure repeats and finding how things could be flawed, and find the solutions to flaws in a previous successes. Some villains were repetitive after all, and she could never risk the lives of others by letting herself get cocky. Ben might have enough of an ego for all of them, but even the other two had a larger sense of self than many others. After all, how many girls do people know who can fight off a while armada of near ten foot tall plant aliens on her own, study several martial arts, and pick up some old, dead dance style? Granted, not many girls were Gwen Tennyson. 

Kevin spoke up after gathering some thoughts.

“He’s a kid. Like he said, we all are. And I get he’s kinda wired a little different, but still. I mean, he’s had to have learned to live with changes that get that big, right?” She nods, tentatively. “Okay, so it’s rough for a bit. But...eventually that’ll just become his norm anyway. Like, it sucks, but he’s our friend, and your cousin. Not your kid. Not even your brother.”

“He might as well be given how much he just barges into my house.”

“Hey, you don’t kick ‘im out. I do it all the time when I don’t feel like hanging out with him.”

“Does he leave when you tell him to?”

“Not the point. But I’m just...saying. It’s not, and shouldn’t be your problem.”

Long, thin fingers run through ginger locks; she knows he’s right. He may not always think emotional situations such as these through, but when he hits the nail on the head, he hits it spot on.

And she knew this wasn’t information she didn’t already know; it was just something she didn’t want to have to say out loud and towards her cousin. Calling him out for being an obnoxious, selfish, sometimes idiotic jerk? Absolutely! However, pointing out he relies on them too much and constantly forgets some people just need time away from each other? The latter she can say, but never that he’s just too on top of her and Kevin. 

“”I know… I know. It just...stinks. And like I said, I just...don’t want him staying mad at me. Like, ever since we got back into fighting bad guys, my friend circle is kinda small. No one really hangs out with the half alien girl who usually has bad guys going out for her, and annoying, but well meaning, fans asking for her and her cousin’s autograph.”

“Yeah, but you’ll be in a new place. Ya make new friends- that is if you decide to not coop yourself up in your dorm studying for everything plus whatever classes you pick for the next semester.”

“Ha ha. Funny. But you’re right. But what I was saying- he’s still my cousin and he’s still one of my best friends. I don’t think I’m gonna be able to focus much on school if we leave and he’s still mad at us.”

The two of them let out a long sigh, their heads sinking into the head of their seats. Knowing Ben, he didn’t go far. Thankfully, with how often he’s around them, Gwen picked up on being able to read his mana signature like an expert. Using the residual mana he left behind while sitting in the back, she pointed east, and told Kevin to drive.

They were all going to finish this talk.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! School does start for me Monday (which by now, is now lol), but as I mentioned in the earlier notes, I'm writing for me. I'm just gonna update when I want. This is sort of my therapy for when I don't wanna do my roleplay replies, but when I still wanna write for fun.
> 
> Also, if you're wondering why New Hampshire, a friend of mine (my Hex roleplay partner) figured out Friedkin looks kinda like Dartmouth, so we all kinda agreed Friedkin takes the place of Dartmouth College in their universe. In case you were curious, and to put into perspective just how far Gwen and Kevin actually are.


End file.
